Construction boss Xian Feng Lin arrested for bribery in AFP raid

A man has been arrested during a series of raids by the AFP charged with making payments to union officials for access to worksites.

A construction boss allegedly provided under the table payments to top union officials in exchange for access to Sydney’s lucrative worksites.

Xian Feng Lin was arrested during a series of raids by the AFP‘s Trade Union Task Force targeting top level corruption this week.

The police were also successful in obtaining a suppression order in court on Thursday over the identities of the officials Lin, 46, allegedly provided a corrupt benefit.

AFP seen checking a car as it enters the carpark of the CFMEU offices during a raid. Picture: Gaye Gerard

The explosive development follows a lengthy investigation into the powerful Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), which has been dogged by allegations of extortion, underhandedness and standover tactics within the industry for years.

But scarcely have those claims, many of which were aired during the Trade Unions Royal Commission in 2015, resulted in prosecution.

Lin’s arrest on Wednesday marks the first time a prosecution has been carried out for giving a corrupt benefit.

The offence was introduced under the Fair Work Act in 2017 to make it illegal for a person to provide or solicit benefits to influence a registered organisation – including a trade union – in performing their duties.

AFP officers guard the rear doors of the CFMEU in Pyrmont. Picture: John Grainger

The law covers the payment of cash and ‘in kind’ payments.

The maximum penalty is 10 years jail and individual fines of up to $1.05 million.

Lin, who was refused bail, has been charged with five counts of giving a corrupt benefit and one count of dealing with proceeds of crime.

Lin, the director of plastering business Lin Betty Building Group, is accused of paying cash to union officials in a bid to secure access to major building works dating back to 2018.

According to Lin Betty‘s website, the firm secured a $2.13m contract for the Travelodge at Mascot in 2016 and a $5.8 million contract for the Australia Tower at Sydney’s Olympic Park in 2015.

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